The importance of nitrogen-containing compounds as synthetic intermediates and biologically active agents has created the need for practical and general amination procedures. The goal of the proposed research is to develop such a method. Proposed in Specific Aim 1 is a late transition metal-catalyzed amination reaction of unfunctionalized olefins. This approach involves the addition of nitrile nucleophiles to 1-alkenes to form a variety of highly functionalized products, such as amides, secondary amines, and nitrogen heterocycles. These types of amine subunits are prevalent in top-selling drugs and biologically important compounds. As illustrated in Aim 2, this methodology will ultimately be extended to the corresponding asymmetric process, which in turn, would grant access to enantioenriched 1-chiral amines from inexpensive starting materials. Finally, the proposed research described in both Specific Aims has significant implications in drug development in academic and industrial settings.